Africa REACH

11/09/2026

| The Ability in Disability Association-TAD, Zimbabwe.

What happens when young people generate evidence about the HIV services they experience, and then take that evidence into the spaces where health priorities and financing decisions are shaped?
For The Ability in Disability Association-TAD, it is advocacy in action.
Through its 'Youth Voices for Sustainable HIV Financing - Disability-Inclusive Advocacy Project' in Gokwe North, TAD conducted seven youth-led HIV financing accountability scorecard sessions, engaging 95 young people, including 32 young people with disabilities, to assess HIV services and identify barriers to equitable access.
The evidence highlighted challenges including inaccessible HIV information, physical accessibility barriers, stigma, limited youth participation and gaps in referral systems.
TAD then took these findings beyond community data collection. 15 youth advocates and community leaders participated in Zimbabwe’s District National Budget Review and Consultations, submitting recommendations for consideration in the country’s 2027 Budget Strategic Paper. The project’s Community Evidence Report was also shared with district health and development authorities to inform planning and resource allocation.
The advocacy is continuing!

This week, TAD’s latest advocacy article, produced in partnership with Africa REACH, was published by Spiked Media, calling for increased domestic financing for HIV and AIDS programmes that is disability-inclusive and responsive to the needs of communities.
The article draws directly on community-generated evidence from Gokwe North and makes a clear case: HIV services being available does not necessarily mean they are accessible. Disability inclusion needs to be reflected in how HIV resources are planned, allocated and spent.
This is what community-led advocacy can look like: generating evidence, bringing community perspectives into policy and budget processes, and using those experiences to strengthen the case for sustainable, equitable HIV financing.
🔗 Read TAD’s article: https://spikedmedia.co.zw/as-foreign-aid-declines-zimbabwe-must-invest-in-disability-inclusive-domestic-hiv-financing/

03/09/2026

Africa REACH is at the inaugural Africa Care Forum in Addis Ababa, convened by the African Union Commission (AUC) through the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD), where care is taking its place at the centre of Africa’s development conversation.
Taking place from 2-4 September under the theme “Placing Care at the Centre of Africa’s Development Agenda”, the Forum is bringing together ministers and representatives of AU Member States, experts, caregivers, civil society and other stakeholders from across the continent.
Across the first two days, conversations have highlighted an important reality: care is not simply a private household responsibility. It is connected to economic participation, human capital, social protection, gender equality and the wellbeing of communities.
From recognising, reducing and redistributing unpaid care work to strengthening care systems, infrastructure and public investment, the conversations are asking what it will take to build care systems that reflect Africa’s realities and support the continent’s development ambitions.
For Africa REACH, this conversation is closely connected to our work to advance healthier futures for children, adolescents and young people across Africa.
We’re following the discussions closely and looking forward to the conversations and commitments still to come.

18/08/2026

Today, we’re rebooting , a series where Africa REACH reflects on the policy moments, summits, meetings and convenings shaping Africa’s health and HIV agenda.

We’re starting with the African Union Extraordinary Summit on Health, held in Accra on 21-22 July 2026.

For Africa REACH, the value of a high-level meeting is not only what happens in the room, it is what happens afterwards.

Three reflections stand out:

◾Sustainable domestic financing matters: Africa’s health gains cannot be protected without stronger, sustainable investment in health.
◾African leadership must translate into implementation: Political commitment is important, but ultimately, leadership is measured by whether commitments become action, resources and results.
◾Accountability must remain at the centre: The next step is ensuring that continental commitments translate into national action that reaches the people and communities they are intended to serve, including children and young people.

As these discussions move from commitments to implementation, Africa REACH will continue to advocate for African-led, accountable and adequately financed action to end AIDS and strengthen health systems.

Read our full reflection here: https://www.africareach.org/from-commitments-to-action-reflections-from-the-african-union-extraordinary-summit/

17/08/2026

The first week of August is World Breastfeeding Week, and this year, Africa REACH collaborated with our co-founder, the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF), to develop a resource highlighting why strengthening breastfeeding support must go hand in hand with strengthening maternal, newborn and HIV services across Africa.
'Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthening Support for Every Mother and Child in Africa' explores the importance of integrated care, including breastfeeding support, HIV prevention and treatment, skilled health workers and continued postnatal care.
It also makes an advocacy call to action: for governments and health systems to invest in integrated services, strengthen the health workforce, ensure equitable access to HIV services, meaningfully include women and communities in decisions that affect them, and protect sustainable domestic financing for maternal, newborn and child health.
Supporting breastfeeding is not only about information at the individual level. It is about building the policies, systems, services and financing that enable every mother and child to receive the care they need.
Read the resource here: https://www.africareach.org/portfolio_page/breastfeeding-for-a-sustainable-start-in-life-strengthening-support-for-every-mother-and-child-in-africa/

Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthening Support for Every Mother and Child in Africa- A joint resource by Africa REACH and the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation. Breastfeeding is more than a nutrition intervention, it is a cornerstone of maternal, newborn and child health. Supporti...

14/08/2026

We’re continuing our series by highlighting the work of our 2026 National Grants Programme grantees and the advocacy efforts they are leading to strengthen HIV responses across Africa.
This week, we spotlight the Union Congolaise des Organisations des Personnes Vivant avec le VIH (UCOP+ RDC) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Through their advocacy for sustainable domestic health financing, UCOP+ is bringing together communities, civil society, government decision-makers and other stakeholders to advance financing approaches that are more sustainable, inclusive and equitable.
Some of their recent advocacy highlights include:
◾Building consensus on sustainable health financing: UCOP+ convened a National Consensus Workshop bringing together government representatives, technical and financial partners, civil society organisations, adolescents and young people, and people living with HIV. The discussions generated recommendations aimed at increasing domestic investment in health, Universal Health Coverage and the national HIV response.
◾Taking the financing conversation to decision-makers: In Lualaba Province, UCOP+ engaged the Vice President of the Provincial Assembly to advocate for increased provincial investment in health, including a focus on the HIV response for children, adolescents and young people. The engagement contributed to strengthened commitments to prioritise health in future budget allocations.
◾ Advocating for stronger provincial health investment in Kinshasa: UCOP+ also engaged the Provincial Minister of Health and President of the Provincial Assembly, resulting in commitments to increase the share of the provincial budget allocated to health in the 2027 budget.
◾Strengthening community and public engagement: Through advocacy with the DRC’s national broadcaster RTNC, UCOP+ secured an opportunity for community-focused health and advocacy messaging through the Santé Plurielle programme (a prominent public health television show broadcast nationally), while working towards a longer-term institutional partnership.
◾Generating community-led evidence: In Kinshasa and Lualaba, UCOP+ teams are also conducting Community-Led Monitoring, collecting and verifying data from health facilities and service users to help inform advocacy and strengthen access to quality health services.
Together, these efforts demonstrate what locally led advocacy can look like in practice: building evidence, bringing communities and decision-makers to the same table, influencing public financing priorities and creating pathways for stronger accountability.

We’re proud to spotlight UCOP+ and the work they are leading in the DRC.

07/08/2026

Spotlight Fridays are back!
Today, we're kicking off the Africa REACH series, shining a light on the work of our National Grants Programme partners and the advocacy, research and community-led action they are driving across the continent.
First up: Citizen Observatory for Health (OCS- Observatório do Cidadão para Saúde) in Mozambique.
On 30 July, OCS convened a validation workshop for the preliminary results of its study on the sustainability of financing for the HIV response in Mozambique.
The study examines the evolution and structure of HIV financing, the role of external funding in the national HIV response, financial risks and opportunities for mobilising domestic resources as well as the implications for the sustainability of the national HIV response.
The workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including HIV experts, the Ministry of Health's HIV programme, the network of people living with HIV, civil society, academia, the private sector and international partners. The broader research process included 53 semi-structured interviews across all 10 provinces, helping to ground the findings in perspectives from across the country.
The discussion highlighted an important question for Mozambique and many countries navigating changes in external health financing:
How can countries build a sustainable HIV response while protecting the gains already made?
Participants explored the need to prioritise high-impact prevention interventions, strengthen the capacity to absorb and use available resources, consider the needs of grassroots organisations working at community level, and take a broader view of the transition in HIV and health financing.
Importantly, the workshop was not simply about presenting research. It was about testing the findings with the people who understand the HIV response from different perspectives, strengthening the evidence and shaping the advocacy messages that will emerge from the final study.
Through the National Grants Programme, Africa REACH is proud to support African-led organisations like OCS that are generating evidence, bringing diverse voices into policy conversations and strengthening advocacy for sustainable health financing.

30/06/2026

June marks Africa Youth Month, a time to celebrate the resilience, innovation and leadership of young people across the continent, and to reflect on the future we are building together.

Through its National Grants Programme, Africa REACH is proud to support youth-led advocacy and community-driven solutions that place young people at the centre of the HIV response. From Nigeria to Tanzania and Zimbabwe, young people are strengthening accountability, building advocacy skills, and driving community-led solutions that place youth at the centre of the HIV response.

As Africa Youth Month comes to an end, these initiatives serve as a powerful reminder that young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but they are also driving change today. Across communities, they are strengthening health systems, amplifying community voices, and advancing a more sustainable and equitable HIV response.

Read more about their work here:
https://www.africareach.org/africa-youth-month-2026-empowering-youth-led-advocacy-for-domestic-resource-mobilisation-for-hiv-through-the-africa-reach-national-grants-programme/

27/05/2026

We are proud to announce the appointment of H.E. Mrs. Toyin Saraki as Co-Chair of the Africa REACH Leadership Council (ARLC).

H.E. Saraki will lead alongside Reverend Godson Lawson-Kpavuvu (Vice President of the All Africa Conference of Churches), bringing together a combination of community trust, faith-based advocacy, and public health expertise.
Together, our Co-Chairs will drive action, accountability and partnerships to strengthen Africa's HIV response, ensuring children, young people, and underserved communities are never left behind.

This is how we build the vision of 'Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.'

👇🏾 Read the full announcement here:

https://www.africareach.org/africa-reach-leadership-council-names-h-e-toyin-ojora-saraki-as-co-chair/

As the continent marks Africa Month, the Africa REACH Leadership Council (ARLC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Her Excellency Mrs. Toyin Ojora Saraki as Co‑Chair. This appointment underscores Africa REACH’s commitment to strengthening African‑driven advocacy, accountability, and act...

07/05/2026

We are proud to announce the successful organisations selected for Africa REACH’s 2026 National Grants Programme.
Congratulations to our grantees from Tanzania, The DRC, Mozambique, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria.
We look forward to supporting your impactful work across the continent.